How Do You Damper A Wood Stove To Maximize Heat Output?

1 Answer

The best damper adjustment for a wood burning stove is one that delivers the best balance between combustion efficiency (percentage of energy in the wood that gets converted to heat) and thermal efficiency (percentage of heat that stays in the house and does not go up the chimney). • Try a flue thermometer. The easiest way for a beginner to obtain the proper damper setting is with the use of a flue thermometer. These can be obtained from most stores that sell wood burning appliances. • There are 2 types of flue thermometer on the market, one that captures the temperature of the flue pipe (least accurate, particularly if you are using double-walled stovepipe), and one that has a probe that picks up the temperature of the flue gases inside the pipe (slightly more expensive and requires drilling a 1/4″ hole in the flue pipe, but is well worth it.) • Install the flue thermometer according to the directions on the package (usually about 18″ from the stove). As a general rule of thumb, you w